DOZ Issue 35 September 2018 - Page 37

my uncle and his wife travelled abroad with Ruth,
and I practically lived in Andrew’s house, the man
also washed my clothes, so I had been to his shop
several times, and we knew one another quite well.
I was really quite surprised to see him, as he was
the last person I expected to run into in Asaba.
At first he looked at me as though he couldn’t
believe his eyes. I did not blame him. I knew I
changed a lot physically, and I was pregnant with
a lot of added weight, making me a lot different
from the skinny girl with long legs he knew in
Agbor all those years.
“Nneka!” he exclaimed in disbelief, as if he wasn’t
quite sure it was me.
“Mr. Sunday!” I screamed excitedly. “Is this really
you?”
For the next few minutes, we exchanged
pleasantries, and he told me that business had
become slow in Agbor so he relocated to Asaba,
the capital city, and was making more money here.
I told him that I was married and lived in Asaba
with my husband and daughter.
He was very happy for me. “I could tell from the
way you look and the car you parked in front of
my shop that you are married to a big man. You
are very fortunate to not have married Andrew all
those years ago, though you might not have seen it
at the time.”
Before I could think of a response to his comment,
he asked me to hold on because he wanted to get
his staff to come and say hello to me. I wondered
why he would want his staff to say hello to me, but
I didn’t get a chance to say anything because he
disappeared inside even before I could open my
mouth, leaving me alone in the reception area.
A few minutes later, he returned in the company
of a man dressed in black jean shorts and a white
tee shirt, or what was once a white tee shirt. The
man was sweating so much that the tee shirt stuck
to his chest. I almost fainted as I realised who it
was.
“Andrew!” I cried in doubt and horror. Was
it Andrew Mr. Sunday was referring to when
he mentioned his staff? Was Andrew now Mr.
Sunday’s staff? How did that happen? Or did I not
hear properly?
Andrew was even more surprised than me.
Apparently Mr. Sunday did not tell him I was the
one he was being led to meet with.
“Nneka!” he shouted, wide eyed, like someone
who had seen a ghost. Then he moved over to
where I stood, knelt and grabbed my legs. “Oh,
Nneka, I wronged you. Please forgive me. All these
years, I have been looking for you to beg your
forgiveness. I know I wronged you and because of
that, nothing has worked for me since I sent you
away.”
I stared down at him speechlessly as he recounted
his tale of woes. After he married his accountant
fiancée, he brought he r into his pharmacy so
they could run it together. The woman eventually
duped him of everything he possessed and
disappeared into thin air with the only child they
had in the marriage. The shock was so much that
he became sick for more than a year and unable to
work, which put a bigger strain on him financially.
Eventually, he left Agbor because he had become
I stared down at him speechlessly as he recounted his tale of woes. After he
married his accountant fiancée, he brought her into his pharmacy so they could
run it together.
DOZ Magazine September 2018
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